MORPHINE - Like Swimming

Morphine is a textbook example of just how far the definition of alternative rock can be stretched. A casual listen to radio or peek at the charts in the post-Nirvana world would lead one to believe that the parameters of modern rock lie somewhere between Live and Bush, with little variation from the jackhammer-guitar-and-angst-ridden-vocals formula allowed. But vocalist/two-string "slide" bassist Mark Sandman and his unconvential trio are the photographic negative of the Nirvanawannabe legions.

Sandman's low, breathy vocals and elastic basslines combine with Dana Colley's impossibly low sax grunts and Billy Conway's syncopated, jazzy drumming to create a sound that makes Spinal Tap's infamous "Big Bottom" seem positively tinny. Throughout LIKE SWIMMING the band pursues a jazzy, understated groove that is sinuous, sensual and downright slippery. Lyrics use simplicity and humor to good effect, and exist largely to set the mood for the tunes' angular, minor-key riffs. The liquid flow of Morphine's songs makes listening to the band's fourth album feel very much LIKE SWIMMING.



1.Lilah - (TRUE instrumental)
2.Potion
3.I Know You (Part III)
4.Early To Bed
5.Wishing Well
6.Like Swimming
7.Murder For The Money
8.French Fries w/Pepper
9.Empty Box
10.Eleven O'Clock
11.Hanging On A Curtain
12.Swing It Low

Morphine:
Dana Colley (baritone, tenor, bass & double saxophones, background vocals)
Mark Sandman (2-string slide bass, vocals, tritar, keyboards, mellotron, guitar)
Billy Conway (drums, percussion, background vocals)

Additional personnel: Mike Rivard (acoustic bass)
Larry Dersch (drums)
Melissa Gibbs, Meredith Byam, DJK (background vocals).

Recorded at Fort Apache, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Rykodisc 1997
cover: yes
mp3@256kb/s